NCT courses

[bellerous]

Has anyone done an NCT course? I wanted to know if it's worth the money or if the NHS ones are just as good?

I've no experience of the NHS ones, but have just finished the NCT sessions. I found them to be really useful, reassuring and also met some lovely people.

Really nice to make a support network before the impending labour!

It depends what NHS courses are offered around you. We didn't really have any, so I did NCT. Like most things, it depends how easily you can afford it really. I don't feel like I learnt too much on the course, but then it is very focused on how to labour and if you have a CS for any reason, you don't end up using much you've been taught. But I do still see all the other mums that I met and they've been a really useful and lovely group of people to know. It was great knowing people who's babies were pretty much the same age as yours.

I'd say if you can afford the course without much hassle then go for it, but if it would be a struggle to afford it, check what NHS classes you get first.

In put case there was no comparison. The NHS classes were useless. Raised more questions that they answered and "didn't have time" to cover instrumental delivery or cs. There was also no social aspect as there were about 30 couples in the room and it was more like a lecture.
With the NCT class there were 7 couples. All types of delivery and pain relief were covered in detail by a former midwife. It was activity and discussion based. They also covered newborn care which wasnt mentioned in the nhs classes. It was definitely worth the money ime.

I think having a core group of friends who have just gone through birth at the same time as you and will be experiencing the same things post birth is really great. Certainly meant a lot to me during maternity leave.

Exactly what Cica said.

I have just shelled out £265 for my local NCT classes (gotta love London prices). I'm planning on an ELCS and bottle feeding so they are going to hate me. I am going purely to meet other couples who have just had a baby at the same time, to have someone to meet up with during maternity leave. The sole reason. All of my friends say it is worth it for that alone. I'd say the NCT don't care, I'm paying for maternity leave buddies basically. If I learn anything I can't get from google or the hospital it's merely a bonus.

You probably won't learn much more than you can from a book. But I enjoyed them, meeting people, etc and it was good for my husband to learn about what was going to happen (he didn't know much at the start).

There are other courses though - I did a hypnobirthing course which was amazing, came out brimming with confidence and info. I'm currently (dc2) doing Daisy Birthing which is much more practical. So lots of relaxation and breathing practice which I didn't get at NCT. I feel both these courses are much better value (Daisy was £50 or so).

JoJo - same here. I've just looked up the price of NCT round here (rural, so cheapest 'band' - but still a little eye-watering) and am now trying to pick a good time to mention the cost to DH.

I've got DCs already, but it was a good few years ago and we have recently moved, so it would be nice to meet a few mums. (although i think i'll be the oldest there by miles! :) )

I have never done either however MW has recommended NCT (pre and post birth) so I have booked on both.

JoJo I am also having a ELCS (It's for medical reasons, though if those reasons weren't there, I'd still be having a ELCS) and planning on bottle feeding too. And to add to that, I'm not giving birth in an NHS hospital either. I'm sure I'll be held up as the example of how not to do it.
Like you I'm hoping to meet some other people to have around during maternity leave.
I think I was ripped off.. my NCT classes were £320 plus an optional £40 NCT membership fee !

Agree with others - didnt learn much I couldnt have picked up in a book, though meeting others was vvg. As well as being able to discuss general hopes/fears in a non-judgemental environment, esp re breastfeeding. Think dh also liked the opp to meet dads to be, not just about the mums.
Btw I am 35 and was worried about being the oldest. On my course, most women were mid thirties-ish.

We've just done both -

NCT: pros - small group so great for meeting other couples, more relaxed atmosphere. Cons - quite a "fluffy" attitude to birth (for want of a better word!) and tendency to gloss over the fact that things don't always go to plan.

NHS: pros - much better for straightforward, no-nonsense practical information. Cons - massive group - doubt I'll see anyone again unless I see them in hospital, midwife always mobbed at the end of the session so hard to get a personal question answered.

I'm really glad we did both, although it sounds from other answers that it really depends on your area and your teacher, for both NCT and NHS.

The main reason I want to do it is to meet people who will be having babies at the same time as me. Where I live it's £184 and then an additional £40 for membership.

JoJo I too am planning on ELCS (personal choice no medical reason) and bottle feeding so I guess they will hate me too..

As a first timer and probably a stupid question. Why will they hate us for bottle feeding and choosing an ELCS?

LittlePeaPod The NCT (National Childbirth Trust) has a reputation for being more like the Natural Childbirth Trust - and suggesting that pain relief is bad, bottle feeding is bad etc

But... again it probably depends on your teacher but ours was great. Gave lots of info about breastfeeding but didn't try to pressurize anyone who wasn't keen.
Water births on the other hand - the woman was obsessed!

Nobody should "hate" anyone for their choices, and the very point of NCT is to promote informed decision making, NOT telling you what to do...but most nct teachers base the course around what the couples ask for, and the reality is that most women who attend are hoping for a vaginal birth, and hoping to breastfeed, and want to know how they can help themselves achieve those things. Therefore you may find that large sections of the course will not always be relevant for you - except that you may go into labour naturally before your CS date, or may change your mind re bf, and so it may be useful to cover those things.

Also worth a mention that for certain circumstances, the nct classes may be reduced - reductions of 90% off the course price are available for:

• Under 18s
• Students under 22 years of age
• Parents receiving income support, income-based job seekers allowance, income related employment and support allowance, working tax credit or support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Parents with a yearly combined household income of less than £16,190

And there are reductions of between 10% and 80% for parents with a yearly combined household income of £16,190 - £26,190 (level depends on your household income)

Everyone can also pay for a course by agreed instalments as long as the final payment is made 30 days before the course starts

We did cover a CS is our classes, which was probably the only useful part of it for me (and 4 out of 7 of us ended up with EMCS!) and it really helped to know how many people should be in the theatre and have a rough idea what might happen.

I also planned on probably bottle feeding and the course tutor said that she "wasn't allowed to discuss it". I've heard on here that different tutors have different responses. Personally I think it's stupid not to talk about bottle feeding - I'm all for a pro-breastfeeding stance and encouraging women to do it, but I don't think 3 minutes on how to make sure a bottle is well sterilised is exactly against that!

But even if they don't talk much about ELCS's or bottles, it's still great to meet the other mums. I know plenty of people who have done an NCT course basically as a way to buy new friends!

My maternity leave would have been a much lonelier time without the friends I met through NCT (and we're still all in touch 18 months after giving birth) - it was worth every penny for that alone, but it was also a useful opportunity to ask questions. Didn't feel pressured to have a natural birth - I felt it was more an attitude of 'here are the options on pain relief, these are the pros and cons'.

I was a bit about the non-negotiable £40 membership fee. teaandcake do you know at what point the household income/reduction in price is sorted out? I've got as far as a quote for my area. I've had an email to say my place is available and will i now pay to hold it. Thing is i'm only 15 weeks, so it's a bit early, no? Then again i don't want to loose the place!

when I did the course you didn't HAVE to pay the membership IIRC, or if you did then I have been diddled as I paid it separately later.

Fluffy I didn't have to pay the £40 membership either.
Did you process your payment online? I did and it gave me the option to opt out.

There were non members on my course too. Tutor was happy to talk about bottle feeding although we did have a whole session dedicated to bfing.

my NCT classes were excellent. 8 week course so very in depth and a chance to really get to know the others, 3 of whom I'm still in touch with 4 years later.
NHS were OK, 3 weeks, more of a reminder, but I wouldn't have felt anywhere like as prepared just with them.

Contrary to what a few people have said here, my NCT anti natal classes should have had the subheading "...when good births go bad!" - passing round photos of babies with badly bruised cone heads, how to spot a prolapsed cord when your waters break, induction, in depth discussion on drugs, pain relief, forceps, ventrouse and emcs. Not one mention of my rights to question or refuse treatment or drugs to me or my baby, it was a "this is what's going to happen to you when it all hits the fan" class.

During the NCT breast feeding class she talked about problems some women have with breast feeding, different ways to can get help but also loads of info on bottle feeding, how much an frequently to feed, steralising bottles etc.

Don't presume that they'll be pushing some sort of barefoot Mother Earth, anti-medical angle on you. In my experience it was very far from that.

I'm sure some people found them helpful but I didn't particularly. Instead of the NCT classes I'd strongly recommend reading the AIMS books to inform yourself with the basic facts and your rights, then one of the trillion "what to expect" books on the market (and Mumsnet) for understanding what's happening to your body, and then join a baby group, baby massage, baby swimming, breast feeding cafe etc to meet other local mums.